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Archive for November 2014

New armored vehicle from Ukrainian manufacturer is on the way! KOZAK 2014 is a working tittle from PRACTIKA company. We have been testing last model of the prototype before serial production on the ground in Noviye Petrovtsy. Representatives from Armed Forces, National Guard and Border Control Service got together in this cold day for the test.

This is totally Ukrainian engineering together with Italian partners IVECO. So far there are two versions of armored vehicle and more working on.

The cars passed the test drive. At the end of the test they were under fire from a distance of 50 meters with 5.45 mm, 7.62 mm caliber automatic guns, machine gun and SVD (Dragunov sniper rifle). The protection passed the test, armor and the glass!

The vehicle passed the test! We made list of comments and propositions for the last prototype together with generals and soldiers who were on the front line.

On Wednesday we will discus the order for the first test serial production and test in the army units under battle conditions and we will make a decision about bigger order in four different modifications and sizes with different set of weapon and protection.

This was a good day, we are happy with the test, although a little sorry for the shot prototype, but we are happy as it passed the test! After some work there will be new super armored vehicle for our warriors. We are getting stronger!

PS: Thanks to creative team for the work and to Sergey Pashinskiy for energy support of the project. And the authors of the prototype are ready to hear your suggestions regarding the new name of the armored vehicle. Creating together!

Roman Waschuk Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine thanking Royal Canadian Air Force C17 Globemaster pilot for his service in bringing the first of 30K sets mil winter gear to Ukraine. Posted at Roman Washchuk twitter account

The ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Vadym Prystayko accompanied the cargo that arrived from Canada to Kiev Boryspil Airport at 19:05.

The ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Vadym Prystayko

The ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Prystayko, the ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Washchuk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Defense of Canada James Bezan, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Petro Mehed.

Ukrainian and Canadian delegation meeting the cargo plane

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin took part in the ceremony. The head of MFA thanked Canada for support.

We feel that we are not alone in our fight. All civilized world is with us. This plane is the expression of solidarity with Ukraine. I am grateful for the support from our Canadian friends. We have warm clothes, medicines, equipment for mine clearance, everything we need for the victory. And we will definitely win!

– Pavlo Klimkin, The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Pavlo Klimkin also thanked the ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Vadym Prystayko who put a lot of effort in order to get this aid and personally accompanied the cargo.

We thank the embassy of Canada to Ukraine and personally the ambassador Roman Washchuk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Defense of Canada James Bezan and colleagues from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In the last 24 hours there was increase in military activity from the side of terrorists and Russian mercenaries

There were 47 attempts to attack ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation) forces. None of those attacks were successful. All attempts of fans of “Russian world” to show their brutality were stopped by Ukrainian warriors.

The real bone in the throat for the terrorist are the positions of Ukrainian troops in the area of Donetsk airport. Active defense from the side of our “cyborgs” provokes the enemy do hysteric attacks. They use mortars and artillery fire and rocket launcher systems. Every their attack gets stopped.

For example, terrorists were trying to storm the fortified positions of our troops near Nikishyno village 3 times. Ukrainian warriors met intruders with fire from all kind of weapon they had with active artillery support. The enemy run away from the battlefield.

Separatists and Russian mercenaries constantly loose a lot of people and complain to their masters regarding their military failures.

Getting angry with their disability to weaken ATO defense, terrorists fire from all type of weapon at peaceful cities and villages.

In the area of Donetsk and Devaltsevo they were shelling at Peski, Slavne, Novomyhaylivka, Berezove, Opytne, Tonenke, Mariynka, Vesele, Novobahmutovka, Troitske, Nikishyne, Artemove, Orlovo-Ivanivka, Shumy, Kamyanka.

4 civilians were wounded as a result of shelling from the side of terrorists at Stanytsia Luhanska from the direction of Lugansk city.

In order to protect life and health of civil population from the provocations from the side of terrorists, Ukrainian artillery made 29 fire strikes. We are checking information about the loss from the enemy side.

In one of the sectors ATO forces shot down terrorists UAV when it tried to fly over Ukrainian Army positions using anti-aircraft ZU-23-2, it was probably made in Russia.

The ambassador of Ukraine in Canada Vadym Prystayko has reported that the cargo plane with first part of military aid given by Canadian Government is on the way to Ukraine now.

Yesterday the minister of Defense of Canada Rob Nicholson said that the government made a decision to give military aid to Ukraine with total cost of 11 millions USD (12 millions Canadian dollars). Read more about it here.

The $11 million will be used for equipment and training, including:

$5 million for protective gear, including surplus Canadian Forces cold-weather gear such as jackets, hats and gloves.

$3 million for explosives disposal equipment.

$1 million for communications equipment.

$1 million for night and thermal vision equipment, plus binoculars.

$1 million for medical training, including a mobile field hospital.

The cargo plane of Royal Canadian Air Force will arrive to Kiev Boryspil Airport on November 28. The ambassador of Ukraine Vadym Prystayko accompanies the cargo to Kiev.

Quick Facts

The donation from National Defence, deemed surplus by the Canadian Armed Forces, includes approximately 30 000 coats, 30 000 pairs of pants, 70 000 pairs of Gore-Tex boots and 4 500 pairs of gloves.

The first shipment will be transported via Royal Canadian Air Force CC177 Globemaster and is scheduled to arrive by the end of November. The remainder of the equipment will be transported by a separate sealift.

This donation is in addition to the $5 million in non-lethal military equipment the Government of Canada has previously donated to the country and is expected to enhance capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The CAF’s response in support of this request promotes security in Central and Eastern Europe, and demonstrates Canada’s steadfast commitment to our allies in the region.

Special Monitoring Mission of OSCE in Ukraine published the report about yesterday attack. They were driving between two Ukrainian Army checkpoints on the road that connects Kirove and Shumy. Ukrainian military escorted them. When they got to Shumy at 12:10 one of the observers got out of the armored vehicles. Right after that there was a shot from grenade launcher RPG and the grenade landed 150 meters from OSCE car. Unknown terrorists also opened fire using automatic weapon that was identified as 23mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The rounds were flying 2-3 meters from OSCE car. The observers left that area, nobody was wounded and no damage to the vehicle.

Almost immediately, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired – from a location to the South-East – impacting approximately 150 metres from the SMM vehicle. In the space of two seconds, multiple rounds of 23mm anti-aircraft ammunition were fired, impacting two to three metres from the SMM vehicle.

Counter-intelligence unit of Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) stopped the plan of Russian Federation intelligence to hijack Ukrainian military aircraft. Russians wanted to use a serviceman of Ukrainian Air Force. SSU prevented involvement of Ukrainian servicemen.

Representatives of Russian secret service used agent network of Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The leader of the group was agent of Russian military intelligence who was born and lived in Mykolayv and was Ukrainian citizen.

That person was recruited by Russian secret service in July in Sevastopol. His first task was to organize a group of locals. The agent was in contact with an officer of Russian secret service (GRU) who he met in Belgorod city on the territory of Russian Federation.

During that meeting he was given new task to organize hijacking of an aircraft from the airport Kulbakino to the territory of Russian Federation. The group planned to make contacts with servicemen of Ukrainian Air Force who were working at the airport in Mykolayv, specially with the officers who are taking part in Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), they planned to buy them offering 300 000 USD, place to live and citizenship in Russian Federation.

Separate reward was offered to Ukrainian servicemen for collecting information and secret data about military units of Ukrainian Army.

On November 24 Russian agent was captured while he was trying to get secret defense documents. When he was captured he had a grenade with him, maps of military airport, records about military facilities in Mykolayv Region.

Here is also a video posted by SSU on their official channel on YouTube, it also shows the moment when the Russian agent was captured.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) plans to develop joint projects and increase the level of partnership with Ukraine. This was said by AVIC president Lin Zuoming during the meeting with representatives of Ukrainian government owned company “Ivchenko-Progress” which is part of “UKROBORONPROM” Government Defense Concern

The meeting with Chinese delegation took place as Ukrainian Concern is taking part in International exhibition of aviation technologies “AIRSHOW CHINA-2014″

The cooperation between companies goes on for several years already, so both parties discussed conditions of further cooperation and current contracts.

“Ivchenko-Progress” specialize in design, manufacture, test, development, certification, putting into series production and overhaul of gas turbine engines both of aviation and industrial application.

Today the convoy went to the East of Ukraine from the Central storage and supply Base of State Border Guard of Ukraine. The vehicles transported 12 mobile modules to border guards. All of them will be used to support border guards who are on duty on alinog the demorcation line in Lugansk and Donetsk Regions

The State Border Guard of Ukraine got 41 modules like that, the total cost is almost 3 millions of UAH. Those modules were received through international projects of technical aid. 19 modules have been already sent to the East of Ukraine before and 2 modules were sent to the administrative border with Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

As it was reported before, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine got and continues to get means of autonomous life support, equipment, portable thermal imagers, diesel generators, sleeping bags, special uniforms and border controls devices, bulletproof vests and equipment. The equipment that was received is actively used by border guards while they are on duty.

Counter-intelligence unit of Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) in cooperation with Intelligence Department of Ministry of Defense successfully conducted combat operation and captured the leader of sabotage group of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) unit called “Rusichi”, the terrorist nickname is “Cat” and he is Ukrainian citizen.

The adviser of the SSU head Markian Lubkivskiy said that this combat operation was unique as “Cat” was captured on the enemy territory.

Our counter-intelligence unit captured him in a city controlled by DPR. After neutralization of “Wolves of Tambov” and “Cat” we will continue to hunt on similar animals…

– Markian Lubkivskiy

The captured men had weapon and also topographic maps with locations of Ukrainian checkpoints marked on them and he also had communication devices like radios, mobile terminals, sim-cards, a laptop and so on.

So the big group that had about 20 terrorists lost their head. That group was coordinated by Federal Security Service (aka FSB) of Russian Federation. Most of the members of the group are Russian citizens who were trained in special camps. The terrorist group planned attacks against Ukrainian soldiers. They had an order from FSB officer with nickname “Sasha” to mine the road in Avdiyivka (Donetsk Region) and attack one of the Ukrainian checkpoints today.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov has reported today about new armored trucks “RAPTOR” that were manufactured for National Guard of Ukraine by KRAZ. The main purpose of this type of vehicles is to transport military units during the battle. It is made based on KrAZ-6322 НМРV-А

It has ballistic protection of the standard: B6 + /STANAG 4569 Level 2. The vehicle is equipped with armored glass and loopholes. It can take part in a fight while it is moving. The armored capsule for 24 soldiers is removable. It can be use as stationary point of defense (checkpoint) with autonomous AC, heating and emergency hatches.

Here is a video of KRAZ RAPTOR on a test drive.

This is a great vehicle and it also has stationary heavy machine guns in hatches with crown protection on top and the vehicles is ready for combat conditions.

This is one of two versions of armored vehicles of such type based on KRAZ that we ordered for National Guard. If you remember at the beginning of autumn we took similar modules made by Kiev company “Practika“.